Just Stuffs

Good Snowy Morn!
It's snowing again .. I love the white stuff (can't stand ICE other than to look at it, but I love love love snow!)! It's Michigan .. it's susposed to snow in the winter .. that's why we have four seasons .. and what keeps me in Michigan, I'd really miss the seasonal changes! And 'sides, we're gonna have a White Christmas! And if I can't be with family and friends, that's a strong plus on the holiday side!
Mom is leaving tomorrow for two weeks with her sister-in-law, my dad's sister, Aunt Orpha over by Lansing. Aunt Orpha is 103 years old and lives independently with her son-in-law!! And Harold is leaving for a much needed vacation with his sister and one daughter who live in California .. leaving my mother (who turned 88 yesterday!) in care with my aunt. (Blind leading the blind?) Mom thought Harold would be just gone for a day or two (to California??), but it will be a two-week trip and of course, she's stressing herself out over it ... what if one of them falls and breaks a hip? .. what if she gets sick? .. what if, what if ... call 9-1-1 ... yes, but what if ... ??!!
(sigh)
Dave and I took mom out to dinner last night at a local Chinese restaurant .. mom loves Chinese, she just couldn't remember that she did until she started eating her meal. (another sigh) The waitress brought her a slice of cake with a fortune cookie sticking up out of it .. cute. Mom got upset because 'we' didn't get cake, just her. (deep sigh) All in all, it was a good time!

All of my gifts have been mailed .. but for one. I'm still awaiting delivery of one item that needs to go into that box before I can send it off (and it's my great neice's gift too). It's going to have to go Express Mail at this point to arrive at my nieces' house BY Christmas! Since I made all of my gifts this year, at least that won't add significantly to the gift costs. When the postman came into the shop on Friday to pick up all of our shipments going out to (my relatives and) customers, he said "I hope you aren't still guaranteeing Christmas delivery". Oh well.

The one thing with my mom being down here now is that I'll never ever be able to experience Christmas at my 'childhood home'. Any gifts that were received by mail went under the tree right then and there. My gifts to family members went under the tree before Christmas too. Mom and Dad would wait until I went to bed and was fast asleep on Christmas eve before 'my' gifts were put under the tree .. so when I'd wake up on Christmas Day and go down the hall from the bedroom and walk into the living room, the tree would be overflowing with gifts that were not there the night before!! Mom hid the gifts and despite my searching and searching .. (yes, I'd look and try to find them .. didn't want to actually see them, but wanted to find them!), I never found out where they were!! Not once, not a single gift! And to this day she will not tell me WHERE they were .. I mean, I'd hit the basement, all closets, kitchen cupboards, the garage, even the attic once .. and never found a one! She'll go to her grave with that secret!

One of the last years I was up to my parents house with Dave, I woke up on Christmas morn and walking out to go into the kitchen for coffee, glanced into the living room. Just like when I was a child, mom had waited until I'd gone to bed and there the tree was ... with more gifts than were there Christmas eve. And here I was at 50-something ... with the first thought that sprang into my mind and a shiver down my backbone ...... SANTA!
Wishing you all the magic of the holiday!
Deb